Award
NIH Reporter #5R61HL171783-02
Development of Novel RhoA Nitration Inhibitory Peptides for the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury
Recipient
Florida International University, Miami, FL
Award Amount
$516,250.00
Ceiling
$516,250.00
Awarded
August 24, 2026
Identifier
5R61HL171783-02
Award for developing novel peptides to inhibit RhoA nitration as a treatment for acute lung injury and ARDS, involving drug design, testing in animal models, and safety studies.
Description
This project aims to design, synthesize, and evaluate a new class of drugs to prevent RhoA nitration and treat acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The strategy involves shielding RhoA from nitration at Tyr 34, protecting endothelial barrier function, preserving mitochondrial function, and reducing inflammation. Objectives include generating ~100 compounds, developing optimized NipR1 derivatives, conducting pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and safety studies, confirming therapeutic effects in a pig model of sepsis, and identifying a lead compound for potential therapy.